Global Information1843 New South Wales colonial election information
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24 seats in the New South Wales Legislative Council | ||
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 Results of the election, showing winners in each seat. Seats without circles indicate the electorate returned one member. | ||
The 1843 New South Wales colonial election was held between 15 June and 3 July 1843 and was Australia's first colonial election. This election was for 24 seats in the New South Wales Legislative Council and it was conducted in 15 single-member constituencies, two 2-member constituencies and one 5-member constituency, all with a first past the post system. This included 6 members in what became the Colony of Victoria and a single member for the coast north of Newcastle.[1] The Legislative Council was a hybrid system with 36 members, 24 elected, 6 appointed by virtue of their office (Colonial Secretary, Colonial Treasurer, Auditor-General, Attorney General, Commander of the forces and Collector of Customs)[2] and 6 nominated. The appointments and elections were for five year terms.[3][4][5][6]
The right to vote was limited to men aged over 21 who owned property worth at least £200 or occupied a house at £20 per year.[7] There was a higher requirement to be a member of the Council, owning property worth £2,000 or income from real estate of £100 per year.[2] If a man fulfilled these requirements in multiple constituencies, then he was allowed to cast a vote in each.[8] This was known as plural voting.[9]
This was the first election held and the first form of representative government in Australia. The Governor retained considerable power, including the power to disallow bills and in appointing 12 of the 36 seats. As government appointments were expected to support the government, it only required the support of 6 of the 24 elected members to pass any bill.
The election was marked by a riot at Sydney involving 4-500 men,[10] which resulted in a fatality,[11] and a smaller riot at Windsor.[12]
- ^ "Electoral Act 1843 No 1a" (PDF), (NSW) – via NSW Legislation
- ^ a b Flanagan, Roderick (1862). The History of New South Wales. Sampson Low, Son & Company. p. 60. Retrieved 23 April 2019.
- ^ "Elected members of the Legislative Council (58)". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. 11 July 1843. p. 893. Retrieved 27 April 2019 – via Trove.
- ^ "Proclamation: appointed members of the Legislative Council (62)". Government Gazette of the State of New South Wales. 25 July 1843. p. 952. Retrieved 23 April 2019 – via Trove.
- ^ "Former Members". Members of Parliament. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ^ "Part 3 Members of the Legislative Council" (PDF). NSW Parliamentary Record. Parliament of New South Wales. Retrieved 29 October 2021.
- ^ Darragh, Sean (August 2018). "175 years of voting: the 175th anniversary of the first parliamentary election on 1843" (PDF). Electoral Regulation Research Network and Democratic Audit of Australia working paper No 47.
- ^ "Australia's first election— 1843". The Argus. 29 September 1934. p. 6. Retrieved 29 October 2021 – via Trove.
- ^ "1856 to 1889 - Responsible Government and Colonial Development".
- ^ "Sydney election". The Sydney Morning Herald. 16 June 1843. p. 2. Retrieved 29 October 2021 – via Trove.
- ^ "The riot". The Sydney Morning Herald. 17 June 1843. p. 2. Retrieved 29 October 2021 – via Trove.
- ^ "Windsor election". The Sydney Morning Herald. 22 June 1843. p. 2. Retrieved 29 October 2021 – via Trove.